


Little Billy and the Clown

by ShiTiger



Series: Billy's Monster [1]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Age Swap, Gen, child Bill Denbrough, making friends with monsters, teen Georgie Denbrough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-25 23:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12544208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiTiger/pseuds/ShiTiger
Summary: It was a rainy day when Billy met the clown.  The poor guy seemed hungry.  Maybe if he shared his sandwich, the clown man wouldn't be so sad.





	1. Clown in the Rain

“Hi, Mr. Clown.  You look s-sad,” a little voice commented, dragging Pennywise from its thoughts.  It had woken hungry from its long rest, and had yet to lure a single person into its lair.  In fact, it had been grumbling from the shadows inside a bus shelter about the unfairness of it all, all while watching the rain falling from the sky, when the cute little morsel had wandered close. 

Big green eyes blinked up at it from the pale face of the little boy in the yellow raincoat.  Pennywise noted the cheerful red umbrella he was holding over his head with one hand, while the other tightly clutched a lunchbox. 

“Oooh, I am sad.  I just woke up, and my stomach is all _grumbly_ with hunger,” the clown exclaimed dramatically.  It reached out for the little boy, its gloved hands aching to extend into dark claws.

“Here, h-hold this!” the little boy announced, practically shoving the umbrella into the clown’s hand.  As Pennywise blinked in shock at oddness of the situation, the child rummaged through his lunchbox and pulled out a baloney sandwich.  The next thing the ancient creature knew, the boy had taken back the umbrella, and replaced it with the sandwich.

“My mom always packs me t-two sandwiches, cause she says I’m a g-growing boy.  But it isn’t nice to be h-hungry, so you can have one, Mr. Clown.  Have a n-nice day!”

Pennywise found itself waving back as the little boy – Billy – trotted off to catch the school bus that was pulling up to the curb.  As the bus drove away, it found itself tempted to at least try the strange human food the child had gifted it.  Hmmm… not bad.  Not the delicious taste of fear and blood-soaked meat, but it was oddly appealing, at the same time.

Perhaps it would allow the child to live – for now.

* * *

“I met a c-clown today, Georgie!”

The older boy glanced up as his little brother barged into his room without permission – Again.  “I’ve told you to knock, Billy,” the teenager huffed in annoyance. 

“S-sorry.  But you should have seen the c-clown.  It was super tall, and had red h-hair.  And it might have been wearing a d-dress.  I can’t really remember.” Billy clambered up onto his older brother’s bed, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Alright.  I’ve been stuck in this bed with a cold all day, I might as well hear about this clown,” Georgie sighed, setting his comic book on his nightstand. 

Billy giggled, and proceeded to tell him all about his encounter with the strange, nameless clown.


	2. The Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like I'm continuing this ficlet, after all.

“But s-still ins-s-SISTS he s-sees the ghost.”

George paused in the hallway, his gaze drifting to his brother’s bedroom door.  Billy had been behaving oddly ever since that rainy day when he came home claiming he’d met a sad clown on the way to school.  After that day, he’d started playing with an imaginary friend named, of all things, Pennywise the Dancing Clown.  George couldn’t go a single day without hearing at least one new thing about his brother’s playmate.

“Pennywise can get really t-tall or really s-small!”

“Pennywise likes to j-jump out of the shadows to try to s-scare me.  It’s funny!”

“Pennywise can m-make balloons appear like magic!”

Honestly, Billy seemed like he had no other friends to hang out with except his imaginary clown.  It was really weird.

“He t-thrusts his f-fist a-against the post…”

Stepping up to the door, George knocked only once, before letting himself in.  “Billy…”

The closet door abruptly swept shut with a **_BANG!_**   The teen gaped at it in shock, before turning his attention back onto his 7-year-old brother who was sitting cross-legged on the floor near the end of his bed. Suspicion gnawed at his stomach when Billy suddenly announced, “You scared Pennywise, and now its hiding.”

Hiding?  George strode across the bedroom and reached for the doorknob, only to freeze in place as an overwhelming sense of dread swept over him.  What if there WAS a clown hiding in the closet?  Doors don’t just shut on their own.  A clown that could change size, make balloons appear, and could probably do many other horrible things.

George could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his rib cage as he finally worked up the nerve to yank open the closet door.  A long row of shadowed clothing hung before him, obscuring his view.  Then a flash of white caught his attention, but the moment he glanced down, all he could see were shoes and boots on the floor of Billy’s closet – all in his brother’s size, and none of them white.

Billy giggled behind him, as if amused by his elder brother’s nervousness. The teen stepped back, closing the closet door firmly before turning to look at the younger boy.  Sitting directly across from his brother was a small clown doll.

“Wait… Was that doll there when I came in?” George wondered aloud. 

“No, silly.  It’s Pennywise.  It snuck out of the closet when you weren’t looking,” Billy insisted.

“Snuck out?  Billy, it’s just a doll.” George picked up the plushy thing, and gave it a squeeze.  Turning it over, the teen noted that the doll’s face was as pale as death, which was a shocking contrast when compared with its bright red hair.  Twin streaks trailed down its oversized cheeks, like bloody tears, until they reached the doll’s equally crimson lips.

“Geeze, Billy.  This thing is creepy,” George mused, turning the doll over to examine its ivory clothing.

**“No, Penny!  Don’t bite Georgie!”**

The older boy turned the doll around quickly, but the clown’s ruby lips were still firmly closed. Then George noticed its eyes - had they been gold before?  One of them was lazily gazing off into the corner, while the other remained fixated on him.  A chill ran up the teen’s back, but he found himself unable to move. 

“G-Georgie, can I h-have Pennywise b-back now?”

George nodded, eagerly placing the disturbing toy into his little brother’s waiting arms.  He stepped closer to the door, before stopping in his tracks when his mind finally pieced the facts together. “I thought Pennywise was the name of your imaginary friend,” he commented, giving his brother a confused look.

“Pennywise isn’t imaginary,” Billy stated, his lower lip protruding into a pout as he hugged the clown close to his chest.

“Fine.  Whatever.  Just keep that creepy clown away from me,” George insisted, stalking out of the room.  He was so eager to get away that he didn’t even stop to ask WHERE his brother had gotten such a sinister-looking doll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sister gave me the idea for Pennywise the clown doll.


	3. Creepy Dolls and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 and 4

**Chapter 3: Creepy Dolls**

Billy was at it again.  Chattering away about his doll over breakfast. 

“Pennywise can t-turn into lots of f-fun things. Like a d-dog, a c-cat, a little girl, a bird, a s-s-snake, a little boy, a d-dragon, a…”

“Wait.  Your clown can turn into a boy AND a girl?” George blinked at his brother in confusion.

“Yeah.  It’s really cool,” Billy said with a bright smile.

“Uh… huh.” George shoved himself out of his chair, and went to get on his coat.  The last thing he wanted to talk about that morning was his brother’s creepy…

“BILLY!” George shouted, yanking the clown doll out of his backpack.  Its sinister lips grinned up at him in a permanent smile, tempting him to throw it as hard as he could against the wall.  Unfortunately, his violent thoughts were interrupted when his little brother came running around the corner in response to his shout.

“Why did you put your doll into my bag?” the teenager demanded, holding the thing just out his brother’s reach. 

“I d-didn’t,” Billy insisted.

“Then how did it get there?” George stated, glaring at the boy.

“It m-must have c-climbed in there…” Billy started to explain.

“I don’t have time for your lies.  Dolls don’t just get up and walk around on their own.  You’re the only one who would have put it there,” the older boy argued, shoving the clown into Billy’s hands.  “Go put this away, and get your stuff together.  I have to meet with the guys before school, and I don’t have time to wait for you.  You’ll just have to walk to the bus on your own.”

“B-but mom s-said…” The little boy’s green eyes began to well up with tears, but George wasn’t putting up with it today.  His entire family always bent over backwards for Billy because of his stutter, but enough was enough.

“If you aren’t ready to go in 5 minutes, I’m leaving without you.” George turned his back on his little brother, and walked out the door to get his bike out of the garage.  He didn’t see the tears starting to drip down Billy’s cheeks, or the fury in the clown doll’s now-golden eyes as the door shut loudly behind him. 

 

* * *

 

 

**Part 4: Nightmares**

George awoke with a gasp, his sheets soaked with sweat and tears.  It was that nightmare again.  The one he’d had every night this week.  The shadow creature that hunted him through the sewers of his mind always ended up revealing itself to be an adult-version of his brother’s sinister little doll.  A towering, monstrous clown with shark-like teeth, and golden eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.  George always woke up moments before the clown’s terrifyingly-clawed hands could grab him, but it didn’t stop his heart from racing in fear each and every night.

The teenager flopped back onto his bed, before turning to glare at his alarm clock which flashed: **1 A.M.** back at him.  It wasn’t fair.  He hadn’t meant to make Billy cry that day.  His little brother had yet to speak a word to him since the incident.

“Fuck,” the boy swore, reaching over the flip on the light.  There was no way he was getting anymore sleep tonight.  It was only after he went to the bathroom, and started to head back to his room, that he noticed that his brother’s light was still on. 

Stepping closer, he turned his head to the side to press his ear to the closed door.

“Sleep tight, Billy-boy.  I’m hungry for a little snack.”

“Goodnight, Penny.”

George felt his eyes widen.  The second voice was clearly his brother’s, but the first…

Shoving down his fear, the teenager opened the door and stepped into the room.  It was empty, except for Billy who was sitting up in bed, his little hand hovering next to his lamp.

“Who were you talking to?” George asked, glancing at the closed closet door. 

“No one.  Just myself,” Billy mumbled, pulling the covers up to his neck. 

“Alright.” George shook his head, wondering if the night terrors and lack of sleep were causing him to hear things.  He took a seat on his brother’s bed, and sighed.

“Look, Billy, I didn’t mean to yell at you that day.  I was just really tired,” George explained. 

“It’s okay,” the little boy answered, but his sudden smile let George know he’d been forgiven. 

“If there’s anything you want to talk about… like if the kids at school are being mean again, just let me know, okay.  I’m your big brother.  It’s my job to keep you safe,” the teenager stated, reaching over to ruffle his brother’s dark hair.

“Okay, Georgie.  Um… c-can you sleep w-with me tonight?” Billy asked suddenly, his green eyes flickering to the closet door.

“Sure.  Is something wrong?” George asked, following Billy’s gaze.

“Nope.  Penny wanted to sleep in the closet tonight,” the child said, making room for his brother to lay down. 

“If you say so.  I’ll go grab my pillow.”

* * *

The creature’s crimson lips curled back to reveal sharp ivory teeth that glinted in the moonlight.  It stood poised at the end of the little boy’s bed, eyeing the children asleep under the covers.  IT didn’t like the older boy, but Billy seemed attached to him.  Little Billy was the only reason George Denbrough was still alive, and not half-eaten and floating with the other sewer children.

Perhaps it could ease up on the nightmares now that the teen had clearly apologized for upsetting Pennywise’s favorite child.  But the older boy needed to learn that Billy belonged to IT, and IT alone.  Pennywise was not a creature that was fond of sharing its possessions, after all.


	4. MINE! and My Brother's Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 5 & 6.

**Part 5: MINE!**

It should have been a night like any other night.  Their parents had gone for a date, and George was asked to babysit.  Perfectly normal.  Until George walked into his brother’s bedroom at the wrong moment, only to be confronted with the creature that had plagued his nightmares a mere week and a half before.

The moment the older boy had opened the door, the monstrous clown had grabbed Billy and backed itself into the nearest corner.  Rather than towering at full height, it crouched at the other end of the room, its long arms wrapped around his brother’s tiny body.

“Penny, it’s j-just Georgie,” Billy stage-whispered, patting the clown’s ivory-clad arms in an attempt to sooth it. 

The creature, which George now realized was clearly NOT a doll or even human in any way, simply bared its razor-sharp teeth in response, its blue eyes turning a brilliant gold as it glared at the teenager by the door. 

“Billy,” George gasped, his heart skipping a beat.  Whatever that THING was, it was definitely dangerous.

“Georgie, y-you’re scaring it,” Billy complained, pouting at his brother.

“I’M scaring IT?  It’s clearly holding your prisoner,” George argued, taking a step toward the pair.  The clown snarled in response, holding Billy closer. 

“Let go of my brother, you creepy clown!”

The creature simply glared back at him, furious at being caught.  Then its eyes narrowed, and a sinister grin spread over its ruby lips.  Opening its mouth, much to George’s initial horror at the sight, it extended a long red tongue past the rows upon rows of shark-like teeth, and then proceeded to lick Billy’s cheek in a single, grandiose gesture.

“I licked him, so he’s mine,” the clown suddenly rasped, once its tongue had pulled back into its gaping mouth. 

**“Gross!  Don’t lick my brother… BILLY!  Don’t lick it back! That’s disgusting.”**

 

* * *

 

**Chapter 6: My Brother’s Monster**

Somehow, Billy managed to convince George to keep Pennywise a secret.  And Pennywise agreed not to attempt to harm either of them, as long as they didn’t try to harm IT first.  

George didn’t know what the creature was, and tried his best to avoid wondering just WHAT the clown ate outside of the sandwiches his little brother seemed adamant to feed it.  Instead, he kept an eye on Billy from afar, just to make sure the creature didn’t go back on ITS word.  But, deep down, George had a feeling that Billy wasn’t in any real danger.  If anything, his little brother had managed to gain a powerful protector. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for now. I really should get back to writing Monster Club.

**Author's Note:**

> I was tempted to give Georgie the stutter, but it’s just such a big part of Billy’s character.


End file.
